Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Outcomes for Israelis With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Community.

This study is among the first pre-post examinations to explore differences in subjective well-being, adaptive and maladaptive behavior, close relationships, community integration, family members' satisfaction with residential and community living settings, and family contact before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants demonstrated better life satisfaction and adaptive behavior before COVID-19 than after COVID-19. Participants reported closer relationships with family members and peers before COVID-19 and closer relationships with staff members after COVID-19.

Exploring the right to work among persons with disabilities: The role of labor-oriented values.

Background: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) assumes that persons with disabilities have similar rights, motivations to work and personal values as those without disabilities.

Objective: The article examines the corroboration between this assumption and real-life facts to better understand the importance of labor-oriented values in people with disabilities.

Methods: We tested the relationship between human values, employment and wages among Israelis with disabilities who cope with prejudice, negative attitudes and a lack of accessible workplaces in comparison to Israelis without disabilities.

Parents' psychological, social and financial outcomes as related to the transition of their offspring with ID from adolescence to adulthood.

Background: In general, there is extensive research on parents of young children with ID, particularly studies on stress and coping, social support as associated with quality of life. Unfortunately, there is scarce evidence -based knowledge on parental coping resources and well-being during the transition of their offspring from childhood to adulthood and thereafter.

Aims: This research responds to the scarce knowledge on the effect of the transition of children with ID into adulthood and particularly within adulthood on families.

Caregiving of offspring with intellectual developmental disabilities in Israeli Jewish and Arab households: Financial and psychosocial differences.

Background: This research responds to the lack of evidence-based knowledge regarding the psychosocial and financial gaps among caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities living in Jewish and Arab households. It examines the financial gaps and explores whether caregivers' social economic status and households' affiliation (Jewish vs. Arab) can explain the psychosocial variables such as levels of stress, social participation types and rates, and use of public services.

Online Activity, Offline Sociability, and Life Satisfaction Among Israelis With and Without Disabilities.

The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and increase independence and subjective well-being. Using path analysis, the study examines the role of Internet use, offline social participation, and connectedness in explaining life satisfaction among people with and without disabilities. Two mediating models have been examined: the first hypothesizes that social participation and connectedness are mediating variables between online use and life satisfaction; the second posits that the association between participation and connectedness to life satisfaction is mediated by Internet use.

Personal and social life of Israeli aging mothers to adult children with intellectual disabilities: differences related to family status and living arrangement.

This study explores whether aging mothers living in two-parent families whose offspring with intellectual disabilities do better in respect to their undesired daily life events, level of social support and well-being scores than mothers of one-parent families and whether there is difference related to their living arrangement (living with their offspring at home or out-of-home)? Sample consists of 160 Israeli aging mothers of adult children with intellectual disabilities living at home or out-of-home. Core findings show that one-parent mothers do worse in respect to undesired life events than those living in two-parent ones. However, mothers of one-parent families whose adult children live at home report more engagement with family members than those of two-parent families whose children live out-of-home.

Beyond medical diagnosis: Factors contributing to life satisfaction of women with epilepsy in Israel.

This study was an exploratory study aimed to examine the contribution of both objective variables (such as education, occupational status, and leisure activity) and subjective variables (such as perceived disability, body image, and feminine self-image) to the life satisfaction of women with epilepsy in Israel. The study also sought to compare the findings with earlier studies of women with epilepsy or other disabilities in order to identify similar patterns in their life satisfaction. The study included 70 women, who had applied in the past to the Israel Epilepsy Association to obtain information and leisure activities.

Israeli employers' hiring intentions for recruiting employees with disabilities: how do they compare with US employers?

Focus groups were used to study differences between Israeli and U.S. nonprofit and for-profit employers' hiring intentions of potential employees with disabilities.

Arab mothers' involvement with their offspring with severe intellectual disabilities after placement in institutional care.

This study examines the cognitive-behavioral and emotional involvement among 81 Israeli Arab mothers after placement of their offspring with severe intellectual disabilities in institutional care, with respect to mothers' and offspring's background data and measures of divisional roles in the Arab family. Core findings indicate that the most important predictors of maternal cognitive and behavioral involvement are the existence of psychiatric disability in addition to intellectual disability, and the offspring's duration of stay in institutional care. These predictors were poorer in explaining maternal emotional involvement.

Predicting supportive behavior of parents and siblings to a family member with intellectual disability living in institutional care.

This feasibility study examines whether the theory of planned behavior can predict supportive behavior provided by either parents to their offspring--or adult siblings to their brothers and sisters--with an intellectual disability living in 2 Israeli institutional care facilities. Participants were 67 parents and 63 siblings who were interviewed at baseline regarding their intentions to visit their offspring or sibling in the institutional care facility, to contact the caregiving staff, and to accept visits at home. Parents' and siblings' behavior regarding visitation and supportive behavior was examined after 6 months by caregiving staff.

Applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supportive behaviors by parents and adult siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability.

This research examines the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supportive behaviors by parents and adult siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability. Participants were 67 parents and 63 siblings whose immediate relatives with intellectual disability resided in two institutional care facilities. Three aspects of supportive assistance behavior were evaluated: home visits, visits to the institution, and the relationship with the caregiving staff.

Representations of the Americans with Disabilities Act employment-related issues in the Wall Street Journal (1990-2008): a feasibility study.

This feasibility study examines the coverage of employment-related issues related to people with disabilities in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The study is a first in a series of future studies focusing on disability issues in the international economic media. A survey of 39 newspaper articles published in the Wall Street Journal, a leading and most circulated business newspaper in the USA.

Israeli policy toward veterans with disabilities: a snapshot and insights of the proposed reform.

The policy toward Israeli veterans with disabilities is based on the Invalids Law (Benefits and Rehabilitation) of 1949 . This legislation has served as the foundation for an intricate disability policy, providing benefits and psychosocial services for veterans with disabilities. Sixty two years later, in light of the emergence of a new social model and disability rights conceptualization, there is a need to reevaluate the current legislation and policy.

Social participation of employed and unemployed Israelis with disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between employment and social participation among a random, national sample of 597 Israelis with disabilities of working age. Overall findings indicated that employed people with disabilities were significantly more integrated in social and civic activities than the unemployed. Whereas most of the unemployed attributed their restricted patterns of participation to the lack of adequate financial resources, accessible transportation, and encouragement from community organizations, the employed reported lack of time as their main barrier.

Perceptions of middle-class mothers of their children with special needs participating in motor and sport programs.

This exploratory research studied middle-class mother's primary reason for registering their young children, mean age 6.9 years, in adapted motor and sports programs and their perceptions of their children upon entering the program and upon completion. Analyses also examined the possible relationship between mothers' age, education or children's age with their perceived favorable changes in the children's development.

Factors associated with obesity and coronary heart disease in people with intellectual disabilities.

Advances in health care for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) that have resulted in increased longevity also force health care providers, researchers, and policymakers to question the adequacy of chronic disease management for the growing number of middle aged and elderly persons in this population. We report on sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus in an ethnically/racially diverse sample of people with ID in New York City. Administrative and chart review data were collected from a community-based specialty medical practice for people with intellectual disabilities.

Examining outpatient health care utilization among adults with severe or profound intellectual disabilities living in an urban setting: a brief snap shot.

The present study examined the health status and outpatient health care utilization among 52 adults with severe or profound intellectual disabilities (IDs) living with their families or in group homes in New York City. Bivariate and regression analyses among demographic variables, medical conditions, health care utilization, and type of living situation were conducted. Findings indicate that demographic factors and health statuses were similar regardless of living situation, except for age and the presence of Down Syndrome, that is, younger people and people with Down Syndrome were more likely to live with family than in group homes.

Israeli parents' involvement with their adult children with intellectual disabilities after placement in institutional care: a national study.

This Israeli national study examined a research model predicting parental behavioral involvement with their adult children several years after their placement in institutional care. The sample studied consisted of 278 parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Israel between January 1993 and December 2001. Predictors of behavioral involvement were analyzed by a path analysis, followed by several differential regression analyses.

Quality of life of Israeli adults with borderline intelligence quotient and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The quality of life of 127 Israeli young adults diagnosed as having borderline intelligence quotient and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and living in community residences, was studied with respect to personal, disability and social ecology data. Overall, quality of life was associated with studying in inclusive education, total attention-deficit disorder symptomatology score, monthly income, participation in leisure activities and having a personal friend. Two significant predictors of quality of life were attention-deficit disorder symptomatology score and monthly income.

Adjustment to severe disability: constructing and examining a cognitive and occupational performance model.

Ninety adults with severe physical disabilities were tested with respect to their adjustment to severe disabilities in their adapted computerized work environment 1 year following occupational therapy consultation. The research goal was to examine a model that incorporates variables from the cognitive coping model (self-esteem, appraisal and social support) and variables from the occupational performance model (engagement in activities, involvement in work/study, time of typing performance and environmental adaptations). Findings showed goodness of fit between the observed and the proposed research models, although few changes in positions and relations were found.

Consideration of out-of-home placement among Israeli Jewish and Arab parents of children with disabilities.

This article is based on a secondary analysis of a random sample of 512 Israeli parents of children with disabilities (ages 3-17) regarding their consideration of out-of-home placement. Major findings showed that Arab parents reported greater levels of personal and family burden compared to Jewish parents. Despite that fact, Arab parents rarely considered out-of-home placement.

Quality of life of men and women with borderline intelligence and attention deficit disorders living in community residences: a comparative study.

The research studies the quality of life (QOL) of 127 men and women diagnosed as having a borderline IQ and ADHD living in two major residential programs of the Sharon region in central Israel in respect to their personal, disability, and social ecological variables. Core findings indicate that men and women differ significantly according to their educational background. Among those who studied in a regular educational environment, the main predictor of men's QOL is their monthly income, whereas the main predictor for women is their level of attention deficit symptoms.